Method for the production of hosiery



May 14, 1963 J. JAVOREK 3,089,323

METHOD FOR THE PRODUCTION OF HOSIERY Filed July 19, 1960 INVENTOR./aro5/o' 2/- 70 uoreZ Ma Q United States Patent 3,089,323 METHOD FOR THEPRODUCTION ()F HOSIERY Jaroslav Javorek, Trebic, Czechoslovakia,assignor to Sdruzeni podniku textilniho strojirenstvi, Chrastava,

Czechoslovakia Filed July 19, 1960, Ser. No. 43307 Claims priority,application Czechoslovakia July 23, 1959 3 Claims. (Cl. 66-185) Thisinvention relates to a method for the production of hosiery from aknitted tubular fabric.

The production of ladies seamless stockings on circular knittingmachines is well known. The automatically produced knitted fabric showsa heel and a toe, both of which are formed during the reciprocatingmovement of the machine by narrowing i.e. by continuous lifting ofpredetermined knitting needles from their operative into inoperativepositions, as well as by subsequent lowering of said knitting needlesfrom their inoperative to their operative positions.

A partially plastic form of the heel and toe portions is attained inthis way. The reinforcement of the sole is effected with the aid of aspecial device, which, in the majority of cases, is of an intricatedesign, rather liable to failures in operation, the reinforcing threadsin each course of the sole being automatically cut and sucked oil at twopoints, with the result that loose thread ends protrude from theinterior of the knitwear.

According to another known method the seamless stocking is knittedlikewise in the shape of a hose, whose lower end is for the purpose ofproducing the toe, sewn together in the vicinity of the toe only, whilethe shaping of the heel, knitted during the circular motion of themachine, is effected by stretching the heel portion on a stocking board,which, by subsequent fixation lends to the boarded hose the final andpermanent shape of a stocking.

It is a primary object of the invention to eliminate the above mentioneddisadvantages.

According to the main feature of the invention the dos ing of the hoseat its lower axial end for the purpose of forming the sole is effectedby connecting the hose, preferably by sewing, along the full length ofthe longitudinal axis of the sole. It is preferable to provide the lowerhose end with a bell-shaped flaring enlargement corresponding to therequired size of the sole, said enlargement being produced by analteration in the stitch construction or by an alteration in the stitchdensity as is well known and has been disclosed, for example, in UnitedStates Patents Nos. 1,569,632 and 2,474,894.

According to a further feature of the invention the knitting process iscarried out in such a manner that the courses of the lower hose end orof the bell-shaped enlargement, which can be reinforced, if required,are arranged so as to follow the periphery of the sole.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readilycarried into efiect, the same will now be described with reference toand with the aid of the accompanying drawing showing a diagrammaticrepresentation of the stocking and the method of its production.

The stocking according to the invention is knitted on a circularknitting machine in the shape of a tube, as outlined in broken lines inthe drawing, a top 1 being produced first, and thereupon the leg 2, in aknown way. According to the invention a bell-shaped enlargement is "iceprovided beginning from the ankle portion 3 of the stocking, saidbell-shaped enlargement being produced by altering the stitch density.The enlargement corresponds to the required size of the sole. Areinforcement 4 of the sole is effected either by feeding an additionalthread or by exchanging the original thread for a stronger one as thecourses of the sole are produced. The number of reinforced courses inthe sole can be chosen according to the height of the reinforced sole.The knitting process is terminated in a known way by backing off thefabric from the knitting needles of the machines.

At its lower end the hose is closed by joining, preferably sewing, theknitted fabric along the full length of the longitudinal axis of thesole, that is, transversely of the axis of the tube. The joining seam,shown in the drawing as a curved dotted line 5, follows the shape of thesole, and curves upward toward the leg 2 to form a heel pocket. Theportion of the seam following the shape of the sole is referred to asthe major portion, while the upwardly directed seam portion is referredto as the minor portion. If required, however, the joining seam mayfollow the last course 6 of the fabric. The pieces outside the joiningseam are cut off during the sewing operation. The final shaping of thestocking is effected by heat-treatment on a stocking board. The shape ofthe finished stocking is shown in the drawing by fully drawn lines.

Threads or yarns of thermoplastic material are used with advantage forthe manufacture of stocking either for the whole fabric or for certainparts only, in particular for the bell-shaped enlargement at the lowerhose end.

The method for the manufacture of hosiery according to the invention isadvantageous mainly as it does not require any special mechanicalappliances, such as a reinforcing device of intricate construction,which is often a source of failures in operation. The apparatus forcutting off both ends of the reinforcing thread in every course, as wellas the respective exhausting installation are also dispensed with.

It is a further advantage of the new method that by stretching the lowerhose end near the toe on the stocking board the stitches of the stockinginstep are stretched at the same time, with the result that theformation of inconvenient and ugly creases on the instep is avoided,when the stocking is being Worn. The heel of the stocking according tothe invention remains, however, in unstretched condition, whereasaccording to the heretofore known methods the shaping of the heel isachieved by forcibly stretching the heel portion on a stocking board,which leads to premature wear and tear of the heel portion when thesocking is in use.

I claim:

1. In a method of making a knitted stocking, in combination, knitting anaxially elongated tube of fabric having a leg portion and a terminalportion flaring in a direction away from said leg portion, said fabricbeing constituted by a plurality of longitudinally consecutivetransverse courses of stitches; sewing a seam through said terminalportion to axially close said tube, said seam having a major portionextending substantially coursewise of said fabric, and a minor portionof said seam extending from said major portion toward said leg portionand defining a heel pocket in said terminal portion; and transverselystretching said terminal portion to form a toe portion therein oppositesaid heel pocket while substantially maintaining the shape of said heelpocket.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,441,443 Reed May 11, 1948 4 Gottschalck July 5, 1949 Getaz Aug. 30, 1960 Reymes-Cole Nov. 22, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain July 10, 1934Great Britain July 19', 1950 Italy May 23, 1957

1. IN A METHOD OF MAKING A KNITTED STOCKING, IN COMBINATION, KNITTING ANAXIALLY ELONGATED TUBE OF FABRIC HAVING A LEG PORTION AND A TERMINALPORTION FLARING IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM SAID LEG PORTION, SAID FABRICBEING CONSTITUTED BY A PLURALITY OF LONGITUDINALLY CONSECUTIVETRANSVERSE COURSES OF STITCHES; SEWING A SEAM THROUGH SAID TERMINALPORTION TO AXIALLY CLOSE SAID TUBE, SAID SEAM HAVING A MAJOR PORTIONEXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY COURSEWISE OF SAID FABRIC, AND A MINOR PORTIONOF SAID SEAM EXTENDING FROM SAID MAJOR PORTION TOWARD SAID LEG PORTIONAND DEFINING A HEEL POCKET IN SAID TERMINAL PORTION; AND TRANSVERSELYSTRETCHING SAID TERMINAL PORTION TO FORM A TOE PORTION THEREIN OPPOSITESAID HEEL POCKET WHILE SUBSTANTIALLY MAINTAINING THE SHAPE OF SAID HEELPOCKET.